Buyer's guide · 5 min read · Nov 7, 2026
Prior authorization Chrome extensions: what they do and what to check first
A browser extension can check prior auth documentation without an EHR integration. Here's how they work and the questions to ask before you install one.
Most prior authorization software is sold to health systems and needs an EHR integration that takes months. A browser extension takes a different route. It runs in Chrome on top of the EHR you already use and works with what's on the screen.
How an extension works
Web-based EHRs render the chart as a web page. An extension with permission to read that page can see the note you're writing, the order, and the patient's payer, the same text you see. It can then check that text against a payer's criteria and show suggestions next to it. No interface with the EHR vendor is involved, which is why setup takes minutes instead of months.
The trade-off: an extension only works where the EHR runs in a browser. Desktop-installed EHRs need a different approach.
Questions to ask before you install one
- Which sites can it read? Chrome shows an extension's site permissions before you install it. A prior auth tool should only need your EHR's domain, not "all websites".
- What leaves the browser? Ask exactly which fields are sent to the vendor's servers, and whether patient identifiers are removed first.
- What is stored, and for how long? Get the retention policy in writing.
- Will they sign a business associate agreement? If the tool handles PHI, your compliance lead will want one.
- Does it change notes on its own? A good tool suggests and lets you accept. Nothing should be inserted or submitted without a click.
- Does every suggestion show its source? If a tool says a criterion is missing, it should cite the payer policy it's reading from, so you can check it.
- Does it work with your EHR? Ask for a test on your own chart pages before you commit.
When an extension is the right fit
Extensions suit independent and small group practices: a few providers, one or two people on prior auth, a browser-based EHR, and no IT department to run an integration. Large systems with deep EHR teams may prefer an integrated product, but they'll wait longer for it.
General information. Review any tool that handles PHI with your compliance lead.